Hand-board for laying off and finishing gloves



(No Model.)

P. MERRILL HAND BOARD FOR LAYING OFF AND FINISHING GLOVES. No. 460,023.

Patented Sept. 22, 1891,

JhJericXP/nwriu MBA 70$ m Ni N WA m N N I Uivrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK P. MERRILL, OF l-IORNELLSVILLE, NEW YORK.

HAND-BOARD FOR LAYING OFF AND FINISHING GLOVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,023, dated September 22, 1891.

Application filed July 24, 1891. Serial No. 400,609- (No model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK P. MERRILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hornellsville, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Iland -Boards for Laying Off and Finishing Gloves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

tion complete.

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in hand boards or trees; and itis especially adapted for laying off and finishing fabric gloves, the object being to provide an easily controlled and efficient tool or instrument for the glove-manufacturer, as will be fully set forth in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is aperspective view of my inven- Fig. 2 is a transverse section of Fig. 1 on line m m. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar sections on lines, respectively, 3/ 1 and w w; and Fig. 5 shows a varied form of outline for the fingers, the View being a cross-section of the fingers.

Briefly stated, my invention consists of a piece of steel or other suitable material having an outline somewhat similar in form to that presented by the human hand, though it will be seen that said outline is much more elongated than a proper proportion would authorize, the principal elongation being at the wrist and the metatarsal section. The thickness of the tree is determined by the judgment of the manufacturer, a thickness of one-half an inch and a maximum width of three inches being usually found sufficient. The fingers, palm-section, and wrists are usually and preferably of the same thickness, and after the tree has been thus outlined or formed the fingers proper are made by sawing or otherwise cutting the spaces F between the fingers. (Shown in Fig. 2.) It will be understood the object of the elongation above referred to is to enable the form to be more conveniently handled.

Referring to the several parts by their letgo ters of designation, A is the wrist-section, which is shown to be narrowest at the point indicated B. To the outer end of the palmsection 0, I secure the fingers D, as shown, and the essential feature of my invention consists in the position and shape of said fingers, which are in cross-section somewhat elliptical, except that the four-angles d are clearly shown. In cross-section the fingers present the outline of two elongated trian- 6o gles joined together at their sides, and the diamond-shaped outline thus formed has its major axis lying in a plane that is at an angle to that plane lying in the palm and wrist sections.

Instead of the above form of fingers, an elliptical form thereof may be substituted, as shown in Fig. 5. In either caseit will be seen that the greatest axis or diameters of the fingers will be parallel with each other, and that the inner edge of the index-finger will overlap the lower edge of the contiguous finger, and so on, or such overlapping arrangement may be reversed. The fingers are slightly tapering, though nearly of the same size throughout their entire length. The wrist-section A terminates in a point or handle proper E, adapted to be received by a suitable socket or other securing device.

The hand-board thus constructed may be heated to the proper degree and the glove drawn thereon, when the finishing process may be applied. It will be seen that the overlapping arrangement of the fingers will so shape the fingers of the glove that they will be in position to be pressed flatly together, when the index-finger will overlap the seamedge of the adjacent finger, and so on, thus hiding the seam-edges of all the fingers and placing the gloves in the most presentable 9o condition as merchandise.

Believing that the advantages, construction, and operation of my invention will be readily understood, further description is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A hand board or tree for laying off and finfinger, substantially as described, and for the ishing gloves, consisting of the elongated wrist purpose named. 10 and. hand, each finger of which is elongated In testimony whereof I affix my signature in in cross-section, the major axis thereof lying presence of two Witnesses;

in a plane that is at an inclined angle to the FREDERICK P. MERRILL. plane lying in the palm and Wrist sections, W'itnesses:

and having the inner edge of each finger over- T. S. NORTH,

lapping the adjacent edge of the contiguous CHAS. E. MORGAN. 

